Lightning and Thunder
by Reasonfalling
Summary: IchiXRuki Rukia is afraid of Thunder and Ichigo comforts her by the only way he knows how. By protecting her. But even after that he begins to notice starange feelings inside of him. What could happen next? Recontinued after an almost five year hiatus
1. A stormy Night

**Author's Note: **Ok this is literally my first time **ever** writing this kind of stuff so be gentle. Not too many flames please. Okay I guess I should really say this or I'm going to get hurt probably so…! I would like to thank **Maydrei **for giving me the inspiration and frankly the courage to even write something like this. She wrote something similar to this and because I just couldn't take it anymore with the whole waiting thing I decided to write something like this. Well after all my favorite stories to read revolve around Rukia being afraid of thunderstorms so yeah… woot!

**Warning: **Extreme Fluffiness! (I love fluff! Fluff fluff were all covered in fluff!Does happy Fluff dance Yay)

**I dedicate this to: **Maydrei (even if it might totally suck! I'm not good at Romance!)

**Disclaimer: **I think it's obvious I don't own _Bleach_!

**Continue? **If you want me to continue this story just say so in your reviews.

**Lightning and Thunder**



By: Neokura

_Boom!_ That was the sound of the thunderhead clapping right over Rukia's head as she clutched the sheets around her more closely. She had never been good with thunderstorms and well, this was no exception.

Another thunderclap exploded across the sky and Rukia let out a small squeal of fright as she wrenched the door open of her little room in the closet. Her eyes darted around the empty room speedily until they found what they were looking for. A medium sized, sleeping figure with bright and spiky orange hair.

Ichigo was fast asleep at the moment, seemingly unperturbed by the ruckus that was happening right above them, tucked away in his nonsensical dreams. He hadn't heard Rukia squeal and open the door but it did cause him to roll over out of annoyance, his usual scowl getting worse.

Rukia sucked in her breath and watched the sleeping, figure waiting for him to get back to his deep sleep.

A third crash of thunder rolled off and Rukia let out a much louder yelp than before and slammed the door to the closet shut.

That did it. Ichigo's head rose up a few inches as he surveyed the room around him, still groggy from lack of sleep. He slowly rose to his feet and walked over to the closet door and hammered on it a few times.

The door slid open a tiny bit and a remarkably frightened Rukia peered out. She opened her mouth to say something but abruptly another clap of thunder resounded off the walls.

Rukia, who was startled by the sudden explosion, instinctively yanked open the door wider and lunged at Ichigo clinging to him fearfully as she pressed against his bare chest.

"R-Rukia?" Ichigo mumbled his face heating up as he took a few steps back from the surprising impact. "Are you ok? What's wrong?"

Rukia glanced up into Ichigo's concerned eyes. There was fear dancing across her face and for once she looked remarkably vulnerable and helpless. Another clap of thunder resounded across the room, literally shaking the entire house causing Rukia to press harder into Ichigo's chest.

"Rukia… are you afraid of thunder?" Ichigo asked awkwardly. He didn't think Rukia realized what she was doing but he sure did. He could feel her body moving against his and he was starting to have some perverted thoughts. Thoughts that he did not want, especially not now with her being so close to him.

Rukia stiffly nodded her head closing her eyes, as her entire body tensed up, waiting for another crash of thunder.

"Rukia… thunder can't hurt you, it's just a noise." Ichigo mumbled into her soft black hair as he shyly put an arm around her small, petite body.

"How can you be sure?! There's no way such a monstrous noise can be harmless!" Rukia cried out franticly as a small wave of thunder resounded again. They didn't have anything like this in soul society. Heck it barley rained there in the first place. Ichigo let out a calm sigh and tilted her face up so that he could look her in the eye again.

"Your not going to be able to sleep are you?" She shook her head.

Ichigo let out another sigh and suddenly picked her up princess style, to her annoyance and great surprise, and set her on his bed. He then hopped over her and laid down as well, scooting as far away as possible from her.

"Ichigo?" Rukia said, surprise dancing across her already confused face. This was very unlike him. He wasn't exactly what you would call kind and judging by how long Rukia had known him this wasn't exactly his style. In fact Rukia was utterly bewildered on why he was doing this.

Ichigo carelessly threw the bed sheets over Rukia and grabbed a nearby pillow. "Just go to sleep Rukia!"

Rukia looked down and smiled to herself slightly. Whatever had possessed Ichigo to suddenly be kind to her didn't bother her one bit; in fact she couldn't help but hope that he would stay like this for a while. She grabbed her pillow and closed her eyes ready for a nice long and peaceful sleep. But that was not to be the case because as soon as she closed her eyes an enormous crack of lightning shot across the sky, illuminating the room, followed by the crack of thunder.

Rukia 's head shot into to air as she let out a small but sharp yelp and dived for the safety of Ichigo's warm yet well toned chest. Snuggling close to him she started to whimper into his side, curling up into a ball next to him.

"You really don't like thunder do you?" Ichigo muttered eyes opening slightly. Rukia, again, stiffly shook her head grabbing his arm and clinging to it.

"Here." Ichigo stated flatly as he pushed her off his arm and away from him so that he could turn to his side. He then scooted Rukia close to him again and wrapped his right arm around her protectively.

"Better?" He whispered into her ear as she scooted as close to him as possible.

"I think so." She managed to whimper out as she desperately tried to stop trembling. She closed her eyes and melted into Ichigo's warm body, attempting to block out the noise.

Ichigo smiled gently as he felt Rukia slowly stop trembling and snuggle close to him. She may be annoying sometimes, okay most of the time, but that still didn't stop him from wanting to be close to her, from wanting her to comfortable and happy.

"Ichigo…" Rukia mumbled into his chest eyes opening slightly.

"Hmm…"

"Arigato."

_Owari_


	2. Pillow Fight

**Author's Note: **First I want to thank all the people who encouraged me to gone. Especially naruhinafan2010, the first person to encourage me to go on! Well this chapter might not be all that great since my specialty is fight scenes. I will put fighting in this! I just have to! Well in later chapters if anyone is interested in it. This was just a strange little home scene that I felt like putting in for no apparent reason!

**Warning: **Extreme Fluffiness! (I love fluff! Fluff fluff were all covered in fluff! Does happy Fluff dance Yay)

**I dedicate this to: **naruhinafan2010

**Disclaimer: **I think it's obvious I don't own _Bleach_!

**Lightning and Thunder**



By: Neokura

Rukia didn't want to move. Not one bit. She was just too comfortable and strangely warm. Come to think of it why was she so warm? It was never this warm in her closet even if she had extra sheets over her. Also what was this weight over her left hip? With a rejected sigh she opened her eyes just a fraction.

She almost let out a scream of surprise.

She was in Ichigo's bed of all places with Ichigo himself right next her with his arm around her, pulling her into his chest.

"Ichigo… could you please let go of me…" Rukia whispered, not wanting to startle him to bad, but at the same time fighting back anger. What the hell was she doing here!?

"Hmm… what did you say?" Ichigo mumbled unconsciously strengthening and tightening his hold on her once again, gently pressing her to his open chest.

"Ichigo wake up you baka and let go of me!" Rukia said sharply trying to get up. Ichigo's eyes flew open and he let go of her immediately.

"S-Sorry… didn't realize what I was doing." Ichigo hurriedly explained.

"Why were you holding me?" Rukia asked him clearly trying to keep calm. She was resisting the urge to hit him clear into next week for what he did.

"Umm… you couldn't sleep." Ichigo answered sensing danger and backing into a wall.

"So that gives you the right to take me from my bed." Rukia hissed back, centering herself right in front of him.

"Well if I didn't you would have kept yelping all night and kept me up all night!"

"No I wouldn't! I would have fallen asleep eventually!"

"Yeah… four hours later, I wouldn't have gotten any sleep if you kept doing that! Besides you didn't seem to complain about it last night!"

"I was scared of course I didn't!" The memories were all flooding back into her, every last thing that happened last night. The thunderstorm, the fear, the warmth; the rare warmth and kindness Ichigo showed.

"Exactly, so stop complaining baka! Besides it's not like I wanted to!" Ichigo stated flatly, his scowl deepening, but strangely his eyes softened. As much as he didn't want to admit it he had wanted to and he would gladly do it again.

"What did you call me?!" Rukia snarled grabbing a nearby pillow and raising it over her head.

"I called you a baka, baka."

Rukia glared at him and whipped the pillow down on top of Ichigo's head. "I'm going to make you regret those words." With that Rukia started a mass beating with her pillow until Ichigo grabbed his own pillow and started to fight back.

Ichigo widely swiped his pillow down but Rukia was to fast and dodged it, managing to get a few quick whacks in. Ichigo spun around and blocked a whack and managed to get a hit right in her face. Rukia retaliated by spinning around and hitting him in the back.

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Meanwhile, while Ichigo and Rukia were relieving stress with a childish pillow fight, Yuzu and Karin were settling in for a delicious breakfast of cereal.

"Hey Yuzu, what do you think Ichigo is doing right now… he's making an awful lot of noise." Karin mumbled as she took a spoonful of cereal. Yuzu shrugged her shoulders.

"Never fear! I will find out what he is doing!" Isshin, Ichigo's dad, cackled as he began to sneak up the stairs towards Ichigo's room.

'_Oh God! How did I ever end up having such an idiotic dad? Prepare yourself Ichigo…'_ Karin thought to herself as she turned back to her bowl.

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"Why you little…" Ichigo growled suddenly lunging at her and pinning her to the bed with his hands leaning in a little. His eyes were glowing with an unusual happiness that was only seen once in a few years or so.

"What giving up already?" Rukia whispered a smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Oh… I wouldn't say that…" Ichigo whispered back a smirk also playing at his lips as well.

Suddenly the two heard footsteps approaching them and the starred at the door frightfully.

The door knob turned and Isshin walked into the room. "Ichigo what on Earth are you doing and who the heck are you yelling at?"

"Oh sorry dad," Ichigo began glancing down. At the last minute Ichigo had grabbed a pillow and stuffed it over Rukia's head and put his head down on the pillow using his body to cover Rukia's, while Rukia had yanked the covers over the two of them. "I was just rehearsing something for school. Were having a debate tomorrow and well for some strange reason they voted me to give the argument. They said something about the fact with my face I'll scare the opposition senseless, or something like that." Ichigo hurriedly continued. He could feel his face heating up into a blush as his body slowly realized how close Rukia was to him and the fact that he was on top of her pressing down.

He needed to hurry. One he starting to get perverted thoughts and two, Rukia was running out of air.

"Tck. They have a point…" Isshin mumbled quickly as he turned to leave. "Just keep it down Ichigo."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say dad." Ichigo mumbled as he pretended to get back to his work. He waited until he heard his dad head down the stairs and out the door to go to work. "Were safe. Man that was close."

Suddenly Ichigo could feel something pushing on his chest as if to say 'get off!' In that moment he remembered Rukia and leaped off.

"I-I –cough- chi –cough- go! You baka." Rukia coughed out gasping for breath as she hurled the pillow off her head.

"Sorry…" He mumbled as he grabbed the cloths he was planning to wear for school. "I'm going to go change."

Rukia rolled her eyes and stood up as well to change. This was the start to a long day.

_Owari_


	3. Rain

**Author's Note: **OMG! I'm so sorry for being late! Don't hurt me! I have good reasons! For one I had to go to the Regis Soccer academy for a soccer camp for an entire week. They didn't have any computers and there was o way to access my file. After that I checked back to see if anyone had R & R and well, no one different had so I took a major blow of lack of confidence. So sorry! But when I finally checked my e-mail that I have this hooked up to I found out that a lot of people had put me on story alert list and well I got confidence! Thank you! So I finally finished this today. **Please remember to check out my user name because I'll have updates on the stories, special notices and even sneak peaks! Oh one more thing. I wrote chapter four at the soccer camp on paper so you don't have to worry about a time gap.**

**Warning: **I may have accidentally tortured you at the end

**I dedicate this to: **Everyone who put my story on the story alert list: 2lazy2care, Averal, naruhinafan2010, flowerspring, ChaosRanger, and anyone I might have missed!

**Key:**

_Indicates Flash back and thought_

Indicates real time normal story

**Lightning and Thunder**



By: Neokura

"Rukia…?" Hey Rukia where are you?" Ichigo called as he walked around the school's campus searching for the girl that had run off. It was already the end of school and Ichigo was already pretty sure he had gone insane. His thoughts started to slowly drift back to this morning, right after he had gotten changed…

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_Flashback_

Rukia rolled her eyes and stood up as well to change. This was the start to a long day.

"Oi, Rukia everyone's already left so you can take a shower if you want to." Ichigo called as he walked back into his bed room to find an already dressed Rukia.

Rukia turned to great him with a small smile, "That's alright Ichigo, I'm fine."

"You sure? It's not like you can take a shower whenever you want you know…" Ichigo mumbled walking over to his desk, trying to find his homework.

"I know but I'm already dressed."

"What ever you say…"

Ichigo found his homework and grabbed his bag ready to leave.

"You coming or what?"

"Yeah, yeah, have some patience." Rukia quipped back, also grabbing her bag.

Ichigo stared at Rukia with a confused look on his face. _'Why is she acting so spaced out today?' _Ichigo shook his head and turned to leave. "Meet you outside."

_End Flashback_

_---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Ichigo rounded the corner of the building and subtlety increased his pace as he neared the group of trees that bordered the side of his school. Abruptly he caught sight of Rukia standing there, alone.

"There you are Rukia… I've been looking for you. Why did you run off like that?" Ichigo asked as he approached her.

Rukia glanced up at him and tried to smile. "Sorry about that. I'm not really sure why I ran… I just… did…"

Ichigo frowned and put his hand to her forehead. "Are you alright?" He asked as his usual scowl lightened and turned into a somewhat concerned look.

"I-I-I'm f-f-fine!" Rukia squeaked as her face took on a light red tinge. Ichigo cocked his head, starring at her.

"Are you sure? Your face is kind of red."

Rukia frowned and slapped away his hand from her forehead. "I'm just fine baka!"

Ichigo glared at the shinigami, his eyes turning into little daggers. "Well excuse me for getting concerned. Gees, I get a little worried and you just have to-" Ichigo's mouth stopped moving as he starred blankly at Rukia. He couldn't believe he had just told Rukia that he had been worried about her.

"Ichigo…I-" Rukia started to say until a thunderous crash of thunder exploded over their heads. Rukia let out a small squeak and practically jumped into Ichigo's arms, clinging to him as if his life depended on it. Another crash of thunder shook the ground as rain started to fall down so heavily it was like an omen that a flood was coming. Rukia buried her head into Ichigo's chest as if his chest could shield out everything, the rain, the lightening, and the thunder… the horrible thunder.

Ichigo blushed as he uncomfortably wrapped his arms around Rukia's small, petite form cradling her closer. Rukia turned her fear stricken violet eyes to his and moaned.

"Ichigo… please make it stop! Make it go away!"

Ichigo turned away from her penetrating gaze and ruffled his hair with his free arm. He had no idea how to comfort her but he wanted to do something.

"Um… let's get out of this rain first. Okay?"

Rukia smiled and nodded as Ichigo swept her up into his arms and carried her princess style. Rukia let out a small gasp of surprise and snaked her arms around his neck.

"Ichigo, what are you doing?"

"Well I doubt you want to let go so…" Ichigo replied, hiding a small smile, easily replacing it with his usual scowl. There was no way he was going to let Rukia know how much he was enjoying this.

Rukia tried to glare at Ichigo, but it was weak. "Fine, just hurry up."

Ichigo smirked and started to run out of there. His shoes squished with every single step he took as he rounded a corner, nearing his house. Suddenly Rukia's cell phone started to go off. She grabbed it and flipped it open, barley glancing at the text before her.

"Ichigo there's a hollow."

Ichigo let out a small groan of annoyance and put Rukia down on the cold pavement. He grabbed his soul badge and knocked out his soul, hauling his body behind a bunch of dumpsters to hide it.

"Alright get on you we have souls to save." Ichigo muttered bending down so she could get on his back.

"Oh shut up you, I'm going." Rukia growled as she carefully climbed on his back. With that they took off at immeasurable speeds. In no time at all they reached the hollow. This hollow was a horribly ugly one with teeth that were pointed and it had the body of a slug and apparently the speed to match.

"Great, another weak one. How boring." Ichigo mumbled as he let Rukia off on a nearby roof top. He unsheathed his zanpakuto and moved behind the slug. Just as he was about to slay the filthy thing the hollow let out a scream and shot a huge glob of green stuff at Rukia. It hit her and the female shinigami let out a scream that could wake the dead. The stuff was burning her! Ichigo quickly jumped up and slayed the hollow, his zanpakuto easily slicing threw the slimy exterior of the hollow and the seemingly even softer mask.

"Oi Rukia, are you ok?!" Ichigo yelled out as he ran to her side where she laid, twitching.

"I-Ichigo it's burning me! Make it stop!" Rukia let out another scream of pain.

"Rukia…!" Ichigo grabbed her and hoisted her on his back again.

"Don't worry; I'll get you to a hospital or something!" Ichigo took off even faster than he had before. Suddenly a few rain drops hit his face. Another wave of the storm was almost upon them. _'Oh great! Just what I need, more rain and thunder. God will this day ever end! Wait a minute. Rain… maybe… maybe if I just lay her out in the rain this green stuff will come off!'_

Ichigo gently set the girl down on the pavement and allowed the rain to cover her body. It seemed to work as he watched the burning goo wash away and go down a nearby storm drainer. Rukia's pained look slowly went away and her eyes opened. "I-Ichigo?"

"You ok now Rukia?"

"I-I think so."

"That's good. Come on let's go home."

Rukia nodded and attempted to get up but failed. Her body was simply too weak.

Ichigo rolled his eyes and offered his hand, which Rukia took gratefully yet somehow at the same time reluctantly.

"I-Ichigo!" Rukia cried out as Ichigo pulled her up. He had done so with a little to much force and Rukia was thrown against him, their lips millimeters apart.

'_Whoa! Whoa! To close! Way to close!' _Screamed the voice inside Ichigo's head. He had never been this close to Rukia before in his entire life. Though for some strange reason he wanted to close that gap between their lips. He wanted to so badly it hurt him inside; burning away at his very being. The rain was coming down even harder now. Everything more than 5 feet away seemed to disappear in a thick grayish blanket as Ichigo leaned forward. Rukia's eyes went wide at first but fluttered closed in anticipation.

A minute went by, then another. Rukia cracked one eye open to stare at Ichigo. Ichigo smiled slightly and gently pushed her away from his body and steadied her.

"Come on Rukia let's go home…"

"Hai…" Rukia whispered, her voice desperately trying to mask its disappointment. Just as the two Shinigami were about to walk away Rukia collapsed to the ground.

"Oi Rukia! Rukia! Rukia!!"

_Owari_


	4. Awakening

**Lightning and Thunder**



By: Neokura

'_Where am I…? What happened…?' _Rukia asked herself as her lavender lids fluttered open. Everything was blurry at first; so she could only make out faint images.

She was in a small room with simplistic furnishings; such as a desk and a closet, nothing much really. The room, however, seemed strangely familiar and comforting. It was like she had been here before. Her gaze slowly drifted upwards and she suddenly realized a large figure with flaming orange hair was above her.

"I-Ichigo?" Rukia croaked her voice surprisingly coarse. "W-Where am I? What happened?"

"Um… you kind of fainted when we were in the rain and so I took you home." Ichigo quickly answered as he put an uncertain hand behind his head.

Rukia studied the room and stifled a gasp of surprise. She had finally realized where she was and what had happened. The hollow had attacked her and Ichigo tried to save her…

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_Flashback_

"Oi Rukia, are you ok?!" Ichigo yelled out as he ran to her side where she laid, twitching.

"I-Ichigo it's burning me! Make it stop!" Rukia let out another scream of pain.

"Rukia…!" Ichigo grabbed her and hoisted her on his back again.

"Don't worry; I'll get you to a hospital or something!" Ichigo took off even faster than he had before. Suddenly a few rain drops hit his face. Another wave of the storm was almost upon them. _'Oh great! Just what I need, more rain and thunder. God will this day ever end! Wait a minute. Rain… maybe… maybe if I just lay her out in the rain this green stuff will come off!'_

Ichigo gently set the girl down on the pavement and allowed the rain to cover her body. It seemed to work as he watched the burning goo wash away and go down a nearby storm drainer. Rukia's pained look slowly went away and her eyes opened. "I-Ichigo?"

"You ok now Rukia?"

"I-I think so."

"That's good. Come on let's go home."

Rukia nodded and attempted to get up but failed. Her body was simply too weak.

Ichigo rolled his eyes and offered his hand, which Rukia took gratefully yet somehow at the same time reluctantly.

"I-Ichigo!" Rukia cried out as Ichigo pulled her up. He had done so with a little to much force and Rukia was thrown against him, their lips millimeters apart.

'_Whoa! Whoa! To close! Way to close!' _Screamed the voice inside Ichigo's head. He had never been this close to Rukia before in his entire life. Though for some strange reason he wanted to close that gap between their lips. He wanted to so badly it hurt him inside; burning away at his very being. The rain was coming down even harder now. Everything more than 5 feet away seemed to disappear in a thick grayish blanket as Ichigo leaned forward. Rukia's eyes went wide at first but fluttered closed in anticipation.

A minute went by, then another. Rukia cracked one eye open to stare at Ichigo. Ichigo smiled slightly and gently pushed her away from his body and steadied her.

"Come on Rukia let's go home…"

"Hai…" Rukia whispered, her voice desperately trying to mask its disappointment. Just as the two Shinigami were about to walk away Rukia collapsed to the ground.

"Oi Rukia! Rukia! Rukia!!"

_End Flashback_

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"Oh…" Rukia said almost in a whisper as her cheeks tinted red, half from remembering how they had almost… she refused to acknowledge the word… and how she had foolishly played along and half from realizing that she was in Ichigo himself was sitting on a pillow, his legs crossed, holding Rukia's head in his lap.

"Are you ok Rukia?" Ichigo asked as he leaned down to stare into her deep eyes. He so badly wanted to kiss those sweet, tempting lips of hers.

"Yeah, just a little tired that's all."

"Alright then get some sleep." Ichigo whispered into her ear as he slipped out from beneath her head. "I'll be right here if you need me." With that he slipped under the covers to his bed and scooted to the far side of the bed.

Rukia lay there watching Ichigo as he silently fell asleep; listening to the rain outside gently bounce off the roof top.

'_At least it's not a thunderstorm. I really don't want to seem even more pathetic than I already am. I can' believe I let a weak hollow injure me. It was so embarrassing!'_

Suddenly a huge lighting bolt struck across the sky, followed by a monstrous crack of thunder.

Rukia yelped in fright and dove for the safety of Ichigo's warm and inviting chest. _'So much for the not looking pathetic plan.'_

Ichigo's eye cracked open and he glanced down at the fearful Rukia. _'Could this day be anymore torturous?' _Ichigo let out a small inner sigh. _'Why must she tempt me?'_

With a quick roll of the eyes Ichigo raised his arm and wrapped it around Rukia pulling her closer to him.

Rukia smiled and gently rested her head on his chest allowing her left arm to glide over him and clutch his right shoulder.

Ichigo's face heated up as he felt her move against him. He so badly wanted to simply roll over and pin her down. He wanted to taste her sweet lips, the lips of the angel that so gleefully tempted him and played with his heart. He wanted to take her into his arms and never let go. The feelings washed over him like he had just been thrown into the middle of the ocean of emotions that drenched him every time he saw her. Rukia was successfully driving him insane.

'_Argh, wake up Ichigo! This is Rukia were talking about! Rukia! Little petite, annoying as hell, Rukia!'_

Suddenly he felt something soft press against his skin and then trail down across his toned chest. Ichigo's eyes drifted down to the sleeping figure beside him, his heart racing faster than any normal persons ever should. His eyes softened and he smiled. While Rukia was asleep her hand had slipped from its hold on Ichigo's shoulder and had gently trailed down him. It was nothing to be alarmed about.

With kind eyes Ichigo gently raised his right arm up and lifted her chin ever so lightly. He then turned his head and calmly kissed Rukia's forehead.

"Goodnight Rukia." Ichigo whispered as he fell asleep.

Little did Ichigo know that as soon as he had fallen asleep two shimmering eyes had opened and a small arm had slid back up the boys chest to rest where it had once been.

"Goodnight Ichigo."

_Owari_


	5. Dressings

**Disclaimer: I keep forgetting this… I don't own Bleach or any characters mentioned! But I own my happiness!**

**Lightning and Thunder**



By: Neokura

Beep, beep, beep, beep, be- Slam!

Ichigo slammed his hand down on the alarm clock and let out a huge groan. For some reason he didn't want to move. He didn't want to wake up. At least not quite yet. Ichigo slowly forced his eyes open and looked around at his room. There was light streaming through his small window, illuminating every thing around them. Ichigo turned around and looked down at the still sleeping figure beside him. He frowned slightly as he tried to squirm out of Rukia's choke hold. Rukia stirred but did not release him.

"Rukia… Rukia… Rukia please, let go." Ichigo whispered to his sleeping companion. Rukia's violet eyes slowly fluttered open and she stared at Ichigo.

"Ano… Ichigo why are you so close to me?"

"Because you won't let go of me." Ichigo said annoyed.

Rukia's face turned crimson and she let go of him. "I-I'm so sorry Ichigo…!"

Ichigo frowned and scooted away from the girl. "You know Rukia… I really don't mind… that much…"

Rukia's face heated up even more and she turned away.

Ichigo had a little inner gasp and he turned away immediately. "Well…ano… yeah you get… I didn't mean it like that!"

"Ichigo, we should go. Were gonna be late to school." Rukia said as she slowly and hesitantly started to get to her feet. Suddenly Ichigo pulled the covers from around him. Everything happened in a flash. At one moment Rukia had been getting up and the next her legs had gotten tangled in the sheets and she lost her footing and fell. Right on top of Ichigo.

"Ow… Rukia get off me…" Ichigo groaned and looked at his situation. Rukia was on top of him, pressing down hard into his chest. His face, that was finally calming down flared back up making it even redder. His mind was going wild with thoughts about their position.

Rukia looked down at Ichigo and practically threw herself off. "S-S-S-Sorry!"

"J-Just g-get dressed!" Ichigo yelled out in a hoarse whisper as he got to his feet and ran out of the room, grabbing his clothes in the process.

Rukia sank to the ground the second Ichigo had left. Her face was bright pink and her heart was racing like a horse after running the Kentucky Derby.

Rukia got up and quickly dressed in her usual uniform. She turned to the open door and shook her head slightly. Ichigo needed to be alone. She knew that much…

Ichigo slammed the door to the bathroom and looked the door instantly. His heart was racing and his face was no less red than before. He couldn't believe what had just happened. _'I-I-I can't believe that really happened… I-I mean she was so close… so close that I could have just… just…' _Ichigo shook his head banishing the thoughts from his head. He hated this. This power she had over him. The power to make him feel so… so… he didn't even know what she made him feel like. But he knew it was something different. Something that he didn't want to feel but yet at the same time he craved it. Ichigo sank to the ground and moaned. He could still feel her body against his. The way she moved, the scent of her sweet breath, the breath of a mint flavored angel. _'Hmmm… I wonder if her lips taste like mint' No, No, NO! I must not think that way about Rukia!' _

"What's wrong with me?!" Ichigo moaned out.

"ICHIGO" Came a voice from outside.

"What the hell do you want dad!" Ichigo yelled back at him in fury as he got to his feet.

"You're crying in the bathroom son! Do you need your daddy to make it all better?" Isshin said happily busting down the door.

"DAD! I'm not crying! Get the hell out of here!" Ichigo yelled kicking his dad out.

"Ichigo!!!! You're so mean!!!!" Isshin yelled as he ran downstairs and cried over the picture of his mom.

"Why does everyone have to torture me in the morning!?" Ichigo moaned again as he yanked on his cloths.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Orihime looked out of the window in her room. "Ichigo…" She whispered dreamily. She was always dreaming of him… everything about him… she loved him, and she knew it. "Oh Ichigo. Why, why can't you ever accept me?" She rolled over and stared at the ceiling from on the floor. "That's it. I'm going to do it. I'm going to tell Ichigo how I feel." Orihime said confidently. She got to her feet and walked over to her closet to start the day.

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**Sorry! I had to make this short! I have nothing else to say really. At least I'm not in the mood to say it. It's just I have no choice. It's not writers block it's the fact It needs to be two separate chapters.**

**The reason it's late is strictly soccer and honors English. Stupid book report….**

**Editor: Keira-chan**

**Dedicated To: Kanashimi-kun**

**((I lied. My Editor owns my happiness… but she won't give it back! But I have hers so I'm a happy camper… I won't give it back!))**


	6. Orihime's Confession

**Okay. DON'T KILL THE INNOCENT WRITER!**

**I'M SO SORRY that this was L A T E! School's got me annoyed, and I haven't had any time to write this! My editor went all crazy, cause she wanted me to write this. (Don't tell, but I did what Shigure, from Fruits Basket, does to his editor. I can now see why he likes it, hehe) Anyway, have mercy upon me and enjoy! BE SURE R&R! I NEED SELF ESTEEM! **

**By the way, if I disappear forever, that means my editor came and killed me with an ax. I love you Keira-chan! DON'T KILL ME!!!!!!!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or any characters mentioned! But I own my happiness! Yes! My editor gave it back, buhahaha!**

**Lightning and Thunder**



By: Neokura

"Can you answer the question Mr. Kurosaki?"

"Mr. Kurosaki answer the question."

"Mr. Kurosaki!"

"Wha, what!" Ichigo yelled out practically jumping out of his desk.

"Can you answer the question?" The teacher asked getting more annoyed by the second.

Ichigo looked around the class room, taking in everything. He knew he had been day dreaming all morning.

Ishida raised his hand, frowning at Ichigo.

"Yes." The teacher called as she glanced over at Ishida.

"Ano… it's 46,785,865."

"Thank you. It's nice to know someone in my class pays attention." The teacher continued glaring at Ichigo, who simply dropped his head, watching the clock tick.

Ishida starred at Ichigo again. _'What's his problem? He's been acting out of it all day. Heh whatever, I really don't care.' _He adjusted his head so that he could stare at the back of Orihime's head. _'He hair looks nice today… so lush… I wonder what shampoo she uses? She's so pretty…' _Ishida shook his head and readjusted his head so that he could pay attention to the teacher. _'Gah, stop thinking about her like that! You're JUST friends… man I wish we weren't…'_

Suddenly the bell rang and the class jumped out of their seats.

Ichigo hauled himself up and walked slowly out of his seat ignoring Rukia and Keigo's urges to hurry up.

"Come on Ichigo! All the good spots will be taken!" Keigo whined running behind him and trying to push him. Ichigo simply rolled his eyes.

"Hey Keigo, I'll be right there okay?" Ichigo said with an annoyed face. He really didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment.

Keigo frowned and got all teary eyed as Ichigo pulled away and walked away. "ICHIGO" He whipped around and threw his arms around Rukia, "RUKIA Ichigo is being SO mean!" Rukia sweat dropped; sometimes she honestly wondered why she put up with Keigo. Her violet eyes watched Ichigo's retreating back with a small innocent frown. _'I wonder what's got into him…'_

Ichigo slowly walked away as his dull eyes trained the floor. He just couldn't stop thinking about Rukia, it was starting to bug him and make him worry. It was haunting him almost. Her sweet tempting lips, her soft hands and horrible drawings. He liked everything about her, come to think of it. Fighting, complaining, everything. He was so into his thoughts that he didn't even notice the girl heading towards him.

"Ano…Kurosaki-kun?" came a small voice from somewhere off in the distance. "Ichigo can I-I talk to you?"

Ichigo sidestepped the girl and kept walking aimlessly. The next thing he knew he was on the roof of the building.

"Huh? How'd I get here?" Ichigo quietly mussed aloud. "Ack!" He grumbled as a sudden flash of bright light flooded into his eyes. He raised a hand to his eye to shield them away, as he had just now found out, blinding sun. "Damn… it's bright today…" He said removing his hand, now that his eyes had adjusted.

"Oi Keigo! Why are we sitting here!?" A voice called out below. Ichigo walked to the side of the building and pressed himself up against the wire, peering out. Rukia was down there, running to the figure he guessed must be Keigo.

"It's a nice day out and there's more shade over here. Besides a little change of scenery wouldn't kill anyone my sweet Rukia." Keigo's annoying voice rang out. Ichigo's fist tightened on the wire. He hated how Keigo would call Rukia _his _sweet. It's not like she's his _property _or something.

"Aww… Keigo don't call me that!" She said in her fake, childishly sweet voice as she playfully flicked his nose. Keigo blushed pleasantly and laughed, running his hand through the back of his hair.

"Sorry, sorry I forget sometimes sweet Rukia, ack, I mean Rukia." Keigo said laughing, with that idiotic grin on his face.

"Ugh!" Ichigo snarled pushing away from the fence roughly, the clash ringing across the otherwise quiet grounds.

Rukia glanced up at where the noise came from, just in time to see a flash of orange. _'Could that have been…' _She thought, her purple eyes shining brighter than usual from the sun. Keigo suddenly popped up behind Rukia's small figure.

"Oi, Rukia what ya lookin' at?" He muttered, shielding his eyes.

"Oh nothing!" Rukia said quickly and sweetly as she plastered on her cheesy fake smile. Keigo glanced at her and returned the smile. "Oh, okay!"

Ichigo sunk down to the ground on the other side of the roof, leaning back so his mess of hair sprawled out all over the chain railing. "Damnit! What's wrong with me… I'm getting jealous over Keigo! Keigo of all people!"

Suddenly small footsteps delicately patted over the roof stairs, causing Ichigo to glance once at the door, but he soon lost interest. The door creaked over and a girl poked her head through.

"Kurosaki-kun…" The girl whispered, positive that he couldn't hear her.

Ichigo slowly rose to his feet and turned his back on the girl, looking out across the school grounds. _'I have to get it together! Rukia is my friend and partner! I AM N O T attracted to her! Damn… but she's so… NO shut up, shut up, shut up!' _Ichigo outwardly moaned and threw his head over the side of the railing. Abruptly he remembered hearing footsteps and spun around to see that Orihime had been standing there, watching him.

"Ano… Kurosaki-kun I need to tell you something." Orihime said starring uncomfortably at her feet, shifting, clearly nervous.

"Uh… hey sure, but are you okay?" Ichigo said noticing how nervous she was.

"Ichigo. For the longest time… I-I…" Her head flew up to stare into his eyes, with a pleading and desperate look. She took a long breath and closed her eyes and reopened them with defiant stare. "I've loved you. There I said it! Oh Ichigo! I've loved you ever since I first met you!"

Ichigo starred at her, mouth agape. He was sure he had heard her wrong; did she just… confess her undying love?

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to burden you with my feelings! I mean you like Rukia, it's obvious, but I just… I can't bottle it up anymore Ichigo!" Orihime sobbed out. She quickly moved forward and pinned Ichigo back, who, strangely, allowed it.

"What the?" Ichigo said as he starred at her tear streaked face. Her normally happy façade, totally gone.

Orihime's heart was pounding; her hands and arms shook with anticipation, as she slowly and carefully leaned forward, to his sweet, tempting lips.

Ichigo starred at her, wide eyed. He had just started to realize what she had meant, though the one thing he was bothered by was the Rukia comment. Was it really that obvious?

Orihime's grey eyes fluttered close as she closed the distance between them and, as softly as an angel's wing, kissed him.

Ichigo's eyes went wide at first, but to his own surprise they went closed as he returned the kiss with a fiery passion. _'Neh, she tastes good… I wonder what Rukia's lips would taste like…?'_ Ichigo suddenly grabbed her and flipped them around, so that he could lean into her.

Orihime moaned softly as she pressed back harder as well. She could feel Ichigo's smooth and soft tongue peeking out and running across her bottom lip, begging for entrance.

A sharp slam came from over by the door as a loud voice called, "Ichigo!!!!!!! Oi strawberry where are you!!!!!!!!! I wanted-" She was cut off at the sight before her, in shook. Rukia stood there, stunned and unable to move. "Ichigo…"


	7. What Do You Want?

**Author's Note: **Sigh... I don't even know what I'm doing right now but I guess I should explain some things. Recently I had a sudden realization of something that partially killed me on the inside. You see I was reading some of my favorite authors and I noticed how they have a tendency to drop off the face of the planet and their stories that I used to hold so close to my heart vanish. It's depressing to think about... and then I remembered that I never finished the first story I ever wrote. Though in my defense it's not because I vanished, it's because I loathe this pairing now. Hell I loathe het in general. Heh I'm a total yaoi fangirl now and I can admit to that (I'm a complete sucker for Grimmichi XD ). But that's not fair to the people who used to really enjoy this story. I owe them so much for helping my confidence and fueling me to become a better writer. So in honor of them I will finish this story even if it makes me bash my head violently against a wall, though that's because when I read back on the previous chapters I realized how god AWFUL my writing was back then. So if you notice a style change that's cause it's been almost 5 years since I've written this XD Fail? Oh yeah. So without further ado I give you that one story I vowed never to touch again ha.

**Disclaimer:** The following is a work of fiction and does not reflect the personal or professional lives of any real person or made up character portrayed herein. All fictional characters belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.

**Lightning and Thunder**

By: Reasonfalling (Cause I don't seem to go by Neokura anymore...)

...

Ichigo tossed himself on his bed with a small huff. He wanted nothing more than to just sink into a deep hole and never return. How could he be so absolutely stupid? Really, he made stupidity look like a disease that was flowing rampant through his body. But that wasn't the point right now. The point was that he might have just royally screwed himself over and he hadn't the slightest idea how to solve his problems.

After Rukia had walked in on him and Orihime things had become… well… complicated.

_Flashback_

"Ichigo…"

Ichigo jerked away from Orihime and stared into Rukia's wide eyes like a deer caught in headlights. Shit, this was NOT supposed to happen.

"Rukia… it's not what-"

"Don't even give me that Ichigo!" Rukia barked, her lost look twisting into one of stony contempt as she eyed the substitute shinigami. Her eyes bored holes into him as he gaped at her like a fish. She knew what she saw and if that was how he felt then there was clearly nothing she could do about it.

"What you do it your spare time is none of my business Kurosaki," She began with a small hesitation. She steeled her resolve and chanced a glance at Orihime who was watching the two with a look of worry and a bit of fear. "Just… be sure that what you choose to do is behind closed doors and it had better not interfere with your shinigami duties. Forgive me for interrupting." She knew her voice sounded cold and abrupt, a trait she had learned to master during the time she spent with her brother, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She needed to keep this face of uncaring on. She turned on heel and left the two with a not too subtle slam of the door.

Ichigo groaned and hung his head. He was so dead. He felt a small pressure on his shoulder and glanced to see Inoue smiling softly at him.

"I would go after her if I were you Kurosaki-kun," She said in that soft voice of hers. She was struggling with her emotions but she needed to be strong for the one she loved. "You care about her a lot so don't let her get away."

"Inoue-"

Orihime held up a hand to silence him with a small shake of her head, "It's okay… thank you Kurosaki-kun for at least humoring me for a bit."

With that the orange haired girl walked away with a brave face on, though anyone could tell she was just waiting to cry.

_End Flashback_

This left Ichigo where he was now: a teenager with far too many problems to deal with, collapsed on his bed. After Orihime had left he did try and run back out to meet Rukia but she had vanished. She wasn't with the group on the ground, nor did she return to class after that. Keigo had whined to him asking where she went but he promptly shut him up with a sharp jab to the throat.

He had practically ran home after that, hoping that she had went back to her closet. He considered attempting to seek her out with reitsu but he was so shitty at it he immediately rejected that idea. It would be easier to just go home and wait for her to return. She would eventually right?

The orange haired shinigami rolled onto his stomach with a groan, scowl plastered over his face. He had quite a few decisions to make now.

...

* * *

The wind had picked up now that the sun was near setting. It was supposed to be a bit stormy tonight after all, this much Rukia had remembered from her brief conversation with her friends at lunch. She was perched on a random tree in a small park near the Kurosaki house hold, gazing absently at the clouds that moved effortlessly with the wind. How she longed to be a cloud, uncaring, free to do what it wanted. It could be stormy, or fluffy, or thin. It could choose whether or not to let light grace the ground or bottle it up and shroud the land in darkness. It could be so many things with almost no effort. It could even travel the world, floating on the currents that determined its path. Life would be so much simpler if she could be a cloud. She wouldn't have all these decisions to make or responsibilities. She wouldn't have to live a life in fear of losing everything she had ever cared for. She wouldn't have to file paperwork or train her body. She wouldn't have these strange emotions a certain orange haired shinigami seemed to stir inside her.

Rukia sighed and absently swung her leg back and forth in the open air. She didn't want to think about this… _thing_ she had with Ichigo. He was not supposed to mean anything to her. He was nothing more than a problem that she happened to call friend. Right? So then why did she feel so angry that he was kissing Orihime? That didn't make sense to her. She had known for a long time that Orihime cared for Ichigo way beyond the level of a friend. Hell she had even encouraged it not too long ago but now… now she didn't want Orihime to be with Ichigo and that in itself baffled the girl. Why wouldn't she want her friend to be happy? He was all she ever wanted in her life. Besides… Rukia had her family right? She had Nee-sama and that red haired oaf Renji to look after. She should be more than happy with what she had been given. Yet…

Rukia shook her head almost violently and stopped that mental thought process in its tracks. There was no reason to focus on that, none what so ever. After all she had more important things to worry about, like how the hell was she going to confront Ichigo after all of this? It's not like she can act like nothing had ever happened right? Not when she had been so icy to him earlier. She regretted that now that she thought about it. How could she have been so cruel and abrupt? It's not like there was something going on between them after all. Ichigo was free to… kiss… anyone he wanted. So why did the thought anger her so much?

Ugh there she went again focusing on that! It wasn't important! What was important was figuring out what she was going to say to him. She needed to head back eventually after all. She was not going to sleep outside again. Not when she had a perfectly good bed waiting for her.

Time seemed to stretch on forever for the confused shinigami girl but sunset approached sooner than expected all the same. She had come to the conclusion that the silent treatment might be the best course of action now. She could sneak in through the window later tonight. That way if he was asleep there wouldn't be a confrontation and she could ignore the substitute if he was still awake. Childish, yes, but she wasn't ready to deal with the awkward atmosphere that was sure to exist. It just wasn't worth it. If he wanted to be with the orange bombshell then let him. She had no right to stop him but she sure as hell wasn't going to tell him that just yet.

...

* * *

Orihime had been sitting at one of her favorite ice cream parlors, enjoying a chocolate and mango frozen treat when she heard her name called out. She glanced up with her large doe eyes to see the obnoxious and emotionless face of Ishida standing over her. He adjusted his glasses, the acrylic glass flashing briefly before they fell back to their original place on his near perfect nose, and flashed the girl a small smile.

"I didn't expect to see you here Orihime," he said with a small hint of calm nerves that he often portrayed when he was with her. The woman smiled at him and feigned cheerfulness by pulling out a seat and encouraging him to sit with her.

"Did… something happen?" the bespectacled teen asked a hint of worry shining in his eyes. He could always tell when something was off with Orihime. It was clear to him that her happiness was being forced. He frowned when she quickly shook her head and made an adamant protest to his concern, telling him that she was fine and it was nothing to worry about. He hated when she did that. He knew he had problems revealing his emotions since he often bottled them up more than the others but with Orihime… it would crush her over time if she didn't talk to someone.

"You know," Ishida began after a small silence had stretched between them, "You can tell me Orihime. I won't judge you or say anything to anyone else. I know something is bothering you…"

Orihime looked at Ishida for a moment, wanting desperately to protest again but something held her back. She did kind of want talk about what had just happened to her to someone, but she didn't really know who or how. Tatsuki would just beat up Ichigo and tell him to get his head straight, and no way could she go to Rukia. Her other friends at school wouldn't be much help either.

"Um," she began after another moment of silence, dropping her head to stare almost intently at the now melting treat she had been enjoying earlier. "I…" She didn't know how to continue. She chanced a quick peak at Ishida who was watching her patiently, his expression bringing a strange comfort to the girl.

With a resigned sigh she brought up what little courage she had left and began her tale of what happened. She related how she had confessed to Ichigo how she had loved him forever and kissed him. She revealed enjoying it when he returned it, even if it did feel a bit off or like he was humoring her. When she reached the part about Rukia she hesitated but managed to choke it out along with a revelation of her suspicions that the two liked each other. When she had finished she felt strangely deflated, but it wasn't a bad sensation. It was more reminiscent to the feeling one gets when they confess their sins to a priest, a sense of calm and relaxation.

Ishida was silent throughout the entire mini speech, letting the girl get what ever she had off her chest. When she had finished he sighed and shook her head. While it hurt to know that she had kissed Kurosaki he crushed those emotions and showed her the sympathy she deserved.

"So do you regret telling him?"

Inoue shook her head furiously, a hint of a real smile appearing on her face, "I think I've always known that he would never feel the same. I just needed the closure of him knowing how I felt I guess. Besides…" she looked up at her companion and grinned an honest smile, "Rukia and him are so cute together!"

Ishida couldn't help but snort at that. That was the Orihime that he loved, always the optimist, always the honest one.

"If you say so Inoue," Ishida laughed shaking his head at her sudden bubbliness. Conversation after that seemed to flow effortlessly as the two talked about things of little consequence, neither noticing how late it was till the shop keeper kindly informed them that they were past closing time. As they made their goodbyes Inoue stopped him with a small hand on his arm. The Quincy turned back only to be brought into a tight hug by the woman.

"Thank you Uryuu, it means a lot to me."

Ishida just smiled and nodded his head with a whispered 'anytime'.

...

* * *

It was well past midnight when Rukia finally reappeared on the roof top near Ichigo's bedroom window. She elegantly slipped down to the space just before it only to find that the window was wide open, as if it invited her inside. She slipped through the small space and glanced around the room. Ichigo was passed out on top of the covers, snoring loud enough to wake the dead, a habit Rukia had discovered he only did when he stayed up far later than normal or right after fighting hollows. She shook her head in vague amusement. He was so cute like that with his hair tousled haphazardly and his shirt riding up, one arm extended above his head and the other resting on his exposed stomach. The dark bags under his eyes were the only hint at how little sleep he had been getting lately.

Rukia shook her head and stealthily maneuvered away from him and over to the closet. She slid the door open quietly and jumped inside, snapping it closed as softly as she could. Looks like she could put off the confrontation a little bit longer after all.

_Owari_

...

**Author's Note: **I can admit I actually both hate and love Orihime. As long as she's not calling Kurosaki-kun over and over again I don't really mind her. She's cute and a good example of what an honest person is.

Now then I hoped you all liked it. I'm not sure if you can tell my writing has gotten better through this or not since the beginning was very forced but after that it began to flow nicely and I was able to get out what I wanted.

As always feel free to review. I'm very curious to see if my writing has gotten better in your opinion or not.

EDIT: Sorry for the annoying page break things. They weren't showing up for some reason so hopefully that's fixed.


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